


Families

by rebel_wren



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: (ish?), (sorta) - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Feels, Family Issues, Fluff, Gen, In-Laws, Sabine Wren mentioned, Space Mom Hera Syndulla, Talking, i'll stop talking the tags now, implied ketbine, more than implied but you get the gist, the whole ghost crew (minus chopper; sorry chop) is mentioned but Sabine the most
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 18:56:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20953313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebel_wren/pseuds/rebel_wren
Summary: Ketsu is struggling with with her family, and she goes to Hera for help.





	Families

Hera wasn’t particularly fond of Ketsu Onyo.

Sabine had whispered once, years ago with tears in her eyes, the story of Ketsu’s betrayal. And while Sabine herself had forgiven her (more than forgiven her), Hera hadn’t. She tried to not let this be known to either of the girls, it would do more harm than good for everybody, but Hera wasn’t always the best at completely masking her emotions, as Kanan had pointed out to her many times over the years. She tried her hardest to be nice, but she was sure there were times where Ketsu could at least sense that Hera didn’t really like her very much.

Which was what made it so odd that Ketsu had come to Hera’s door, tears in her eyes.

Hera may not have been very fond of the girl, but she still cared for her, as she cared for anything Sabine or Ezra also cared about.

“Ketsu?” Hera asked gently. “Is everything alright?”

Ketsu swallowed hard. “I- I’m sorry, I don’t know where else to go. Sabine always says you’re good at- at talking, and advice…”

Hera noticed she was nervously wringing her hands as she spoke, and Hera really felt for her. Her time with Ketsu had been rather limited, as she and Sabine spent most of their time together alone (with the doors open when they were in the  _ Ghost _ \- Kanan’s rule) but she’d never seen her like this.

“Come in, Ketsu. What do you need?”

She motioned to invite her in to the room, and Ketsu nervously stepped inside. She was taller than Sabine (who Ezra had recently surpassed in height, much to her chagrin), and even a little taller than Hera, but as she was in front of Hera, she looked so… small. Both Sabine and Ketsu were so capable that it was easy to forget their age, but not in moments like these.

“What’s on your mind?” Hera asked. If Ketsu was anything like Sabine (which she was- Hera had to admit they were very sweet together), it may take a little coaxing, even though she did want to talk.

“Sabine told me about how she reconnected with her family, and how they’re all getting along again,” Ketsu started slowly, taking a deep breath to pause. She clearly missed Sabine, and Hera nodded in understanding. 

She still remembered when Kanan and Ezra had come home without her. They hadn’t thought to call ahead and tell them what happened (which Kanan was scolded about for a while), and when they got off the ship without her, Hera remembered being paralyzed with fear, beginning to panic while Kanan frantically ran to comfort her and explain. Sabine called later that night, and they had a long talk- but it wasn’t the same through a hologram.

“I miss her too,” Hera offered, and Ketsu just quickly nodded.

“I know. But… I thought that if she could get along with her family again, then I could too. So I called them,” Ketsu paused to wipe at her eyes. “But they didn’t want me. They said that I’m a disgrace, and that… that I don’t deserve to be an Onyo, and that I shouldn’t ever contact them again.”

Hera watched as Ketsu hung her head, staring at the floor.

“I just don’t understand,” Ketsu said. Her voice was a mix of bitterness, frustration, anger and sadness. Hera didn’t see a bounty hunter or Mandalorian warrior in front of her. She saw a teenage girl desperate for her family’s approval, while trying to balance herself with what they wanted. She saw a girl that was lonely and wanted to be loved.

She saw her younger self.

Hera cautiously walked closer to Ketsu, and with her arm gently guided to sit on the bed in her room. Ketsu just let her, though she looked at her a little surprised.

“I’m sorry, Ketsu,” Hera began. “Family can be… tough. Trust me, I know.”

“When I was growing up, they always used to say that family was the most important thing in the galaxy,” Ketsu scoffed. “Hypocrites.”

Hera gave her a small smile. “Family  _ is _ important,” she said. “Sometimes, it just takes a little while to find the right one.”

Ketsu shook her head, still staring at the floor. “I don’t think I’ll ever find one. Sabine… she’s all I have.”

“You have me,” Hera answered. Ketsu practically whipped her head towards her.

“I do?”

“You’re part of my family. And it’s not a small one, either. Everyone on the  _ Ghost _ \- we’re here for you. Sabine loves you, and that’s enough for us.”

Ketsu smiled at Hera for a few seconds, and then she surprised Hera even more than she had before- she hugged her. Hera was taken aback at first, but she returned the hug quickly, wrapping her arms around Ketsu. Ketsu rested against her the same way Sabine would.

“Why don’t you stay for dinner?” Hera asked, still hugging Ketsu. “Zeb found a new recipe to try. Do you like Corellian food?”

Ketsu laughed and pulled away. “Yes. Are you sure you want me to stay?”

“We’d always be happy to have you, Ketsu.”

Ketsu beamed, and Hera knew Sabine would be proud of them both.


End file.
